Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Health Services

Advisor

John Oswald

Abstract

AbstractPatient advocacy has become a vital concept for healthcare providers all over the world. There is evidence that the concept of patient advocacy is not new in Ghana. However, the degree of its practice continues to be negative and quite narrow in Ghana and even in Africa as a whole. It has also been argued that effective patience advocacy practice is either scarce or non-existent in Ghana. To address this issue, an assessment of the medical policies in Ghana was conducted, informed by the applied psychology theoretical framework. This study focused on using phenomenological inquiry to better understand patients’ experiences within Ghana healthcare facilities to allow for the determination of the impact of patient advocacy in Ghana. The study used purposive sampling for the selection of the participants. Questionnaires were designed after the form of semi-structured interview style to stimulate responses. In all, data was collected from 23 participants from four most highly populated urban regions in Ghana. The study revealed 11 lapses and shortcomings in the practice of patient advocacy in Ghana. Patients were found to be either unaware of their rights or felt less empowered to participate in their care giving. Healthcare professionals, on the other hand, need periodical training to instruct them in their ethical duty as patient advocates. The systemic poor interaction between patients and care givers was also found to act adversely against the practice of patient advocacy in Ghana. Therefore, there is the need for a multi-prong new policy and structural model that essentially puts patients right and inclusion and the ethics of healthcare professionals at the forefront resulting in positive social change.

Download

Share

 
COinS